Lines Between
by Aeris3
Summary: Ranma dies. Kind of dark, has a strang happy ending. Read please!


Lines Between

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Aeris

A/N: Sometimes in this story I'll write things that happened in the past without actually saying it's a flashback or having some character tell it, but you should be able to catch on (I hope). Oh, and I don't own Ranma ½, blah, blah, blah. (Review please! Arigato!)

Akane sank to her knees. Kuno dropped the bloody sword and ran. Ranma grabbed Akane's shoulder as he fell. Akane caught him just in time.  

Dr. Tufo wiped his hands and sighed. "Why don't you go home Akane? I'll call you if there is any change." He reassuringly patted her slumped shoulder. 

            Akane shook her head. "No. I'm not going anywhere. Can I sit with him? Please?" Dr. Tufo sighed and pointed to the door on the left. His eyes followed Akane as she walked into the room. The door of his clinic opened and Saotome Genma walked inside. 

            "Is he doing better Dr. Tufo?" Genma asked as he handed him a yellow envelope. 

            The doctor shook his head and took the yellow envelope. "I'm kind of surprised, you see he normally heals quickly. But that wound doesn't seem to want to heal. It's right above his heart and Kuno pointed it so it slid downward as it slid in. It just missed killing him, but I think it sill may. Not that there isn't hope. There is nothing that we can do for him here so I think it would be best if he went home tomorrow, be back in some familiar surroundings might do him some good." 

            Genma gave a slight nod of the head and sat down. "Thank you doctor." A loud scream interrupted his thoughts. He and Dr. Tufo ran into Ranma's room. 

            Akane sat by the bed sobbing and clutching onto his bed. She looked up at the two then looked down again. Tufo knelt down and put his finger to Ranma's neck, feeling for a pulse. He shook his head and sat down next to Akane, putting a hand over her shoulder. Genma stood there not knowing what to think. 

Kasumi sat in Ranma's room. Slowly she dug through his dowers pulling out his clothes and putting them in boxes. It was so sad about what happened to him, Kasumi though as she shook her head. When she got to the last dower she found an old shoebox and took off the cover. Inside there were a few pictures and some scattered papers, tests, drawings, and nonsense things. Kasumi shook her head and smiled, who knew Ranma was such a sentimentalist? 

            Kasumi picked up the box with Ranma's clothes and that old shoebox and walked to Akane's room. She knocked slightly on the door. Kasumi hoped that this would cheer her up, Akane had been so sad lately, like all of them…

            She quickly shook off the thought and opened the door. Akane sat at her desk writing something, she looked up and put her pen down when she saw Kasumi. Akane said nothing to her sister and just looked back at her paper. Kasumi smiled a weak smile at Akane. 

            "I was packing up his…" Kasumi paused not knowing how to word things, it was hard to get through times like these and she didn't know quite how to act. "I thought you might like this, Akane." She placed the box in her room and walked to the hallway. 

             Her eyes welled up in tears when she closed her door. Painful memories still where fresh in her mind from when their mother had died. No one talked to each other; everyone kept their distance from them. To the eyes of others they where just a family to feel sorry for. Kasumi hated when people thought that they where helpless, just another lost cause. 

            Memories of the cakes, the dinners, the cards, the people always trying to help, people always butting in- it was a horrible feeling. More horrible then the actual death because people just kept reminding them of their lose. Now it had to happen all over again. 

Akane trampled into school the following week. People stopped and stared whispers where heard all throughout the campus. All the Ranma-haters stopped and paid their respects to them, Akane just ignored them or told them to shove it. In a way it had been their entire fault. They are the ones who plotted and schemed to find new ways to kill him, to hurt him, or to take her away from him. 

            No one made eye contact with her because everyone knew her story. 

            The bell rang and Akane followed the groups of students into the classrooms, ignoring her friends.

At lunch Akane sat on the roof trying to avoid all the others. She didn't eat and eating wasn't her intention she had to think. Kuno hadn't seen her today but she had seen him. She had to confront him, to tell him what he had done. To make him pay. 

            Ukyo climbed up the latter holding a bag, her lunch, in her mouth. Akane said nothing when she saw her come up. Ukyo took the bag out of her mouth and sat down next to Akane.

            Ukyo said nothing for a few minutes. "He would have picked you." Was all she said and she said it in a small voice. 

            "I know." Akane looked to the side. Ukyo looked at her shocked. "He told me." She lowered her eyes to match Ukyo's. 

            Ukyo took a breath. "I'm sorry for all I did to you two. I really am." Her voice was broken up from tears. Akane said nothing her face was stern. 

            "Thank you." Akane's voice was small like Ukyo's now. Neither of them said nothing and none of the teachers where surprised when neither of them came back after lunch. 

Shampoo knocked at the Tendo door holding a small package. Nodoka Saotome opened the door. "Hello Shampoo." Nodoka said looking at her. "I'm sure you heard about what happened so there is no need to come back here anymore." Nodoka's voice was firm. 

            Shampoo shook her head and looked at the floor. "Shampoo come, Shampoo come to say Shampoo sorry." Shampoo thrust the package out in front of her. "Shampoo very sorry." Shampoo's voice was nothing more then a whisper now. 

            Nodoka took the package. "Thank you Shampoo." Nodoka's attitude slowly changed about the crying girl in front of her. Nodoka patted Shampoo's arm and Shampoo looked up. "I'm sure he would have been proud." 

Outside of Furkian High Akane stood. Her eyes where transfixed on the gate. The afternoon bells had rung. Kuno walked out of the gates holding a stack of books. Akane glared at him the jumped in front of him.

            "Akane." Kuno said as he dropped his book. 

            Akane grabbed his collar and narrowed her eyes. "You killed him you bastard." She hissed. Kuno stepped back afraid of what she might do. "You bastard." Akane slapped him and then walked away.

            Kuno blinked and held his cheek. "But Akane… I saved you." He said not understanding her. 

            A crowd of students had crowded around them, some gawking some rolling their eyes. This was getting really old- really fast. Akane's friend stood toward the back of the crowd wondering why Akane only slapped him… She knew it was only the beginning- and she was right. 

The sun settled down behind the mountains nearby. Akane sat in her room cross-legged and slowly opened the box that Kasumi had given her earlier. Inside the box there was a smaller box, an old shoebox. Slipping her fingers under the lid she opened it. 

            Inside of it there where some pictures, an old crinkled shot of his mother and father, a picture of all their "friends", and one of he and Akane. Akane ran her fingers across it and smiled. He was giving her a flower, the white one she had pressed into a bookmark. A tear slid down Akane's cheek. She hadn't cried since she was Dr. Tufo's. She dug further into the box, a few papers nothing too important, a drawing of Kuno with that bird nest on h is head and crying, Akane mentally laughed, a few hundred yen was stuck at the bottom, and a few more things that Akane slowly put back into place. 

            Slowly she unfolded the top shirt and looked at it. The shirt was a red one and had a rip on the bottom from where Ryoga had ripped when they had a fight last week. Last week… So long ago, so much had changed since then… 

Akane cornered Kuno after school again the next day. "Akane…" He began but she cut him off. 

            "No." She said her eyes like piercing daggers at him. "Do you know what's it's like to see a person die?" She asked, her voice a broken whisper. "Do you? Do you know what's it's like to lose a person close to you?" 

            Kuno looked down. "Yes." He whispered back. Akane looked up at him, a puzzled look on her face. "My mother." 

            "Kuno. I should kill you. I would kill you. But I'm not going to. You know why? I pity you. You're not lucky enough to die. Every time you see me you'll remember what you did." Akane told him, madness dripping on every word. "Not only did you kill him, but you killed a little piece of everyone who knew him." 

            Kuno looked down. He didn't understand. Why was Akane so mad at something that was supposed to work so well? He had freed her from him! Angry welled inside of him; even in death Saotome could mix up everything! Never had Kuno seen Akane be nice to Ranma, never had he seen her even care about him. Or was it just because he didn't want to see it? "I'm sorry Akane." He finally said. He looked up and she was gone, only the bruise on his face remained, a constant reminder of what he had done.

Thunder boomed outside. Akane hugged her knees close to her chest wishing that the power would come back on and the storm would stop. Her back was to the door, for she didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. 

            Tears welled up in her eyes but she bite them back. She wouldn't waste her tears on something so foolish. She hadn't wasted tears ever. _"Crying is weak Akane." _Her father had told her. Those words rang over and over in her head. 

            Lighting hit outside causing the sky to flash a bright yellow. Akane exhaled. Never would she admit that she was afraid of something so childish as lighting. Once she told Ranma, he just laughed and smiled, told her that everyone is afraid of something. "_Really, Akane. I'm afraid of cats." _He had told her. She remembered laughing at that, she never realized that everyone had a fear even something so childish like a thunderstorm. Lighting hit again. But this time she smiled. 

"_I know. He told me_." Ukyo flipped the pancake like food on the grill repeatedly smashing down the batter. _I know, he told me! Ha! In her dreams, in her dark perverted dreams… _Ukyo thought and poured some more batter onto the already quite large food. She smashed her spatula into the batter causing it burn onto the grill. The imprint of her tool left a black mark on the grill. 

            It was true that Ukyo honestly didn't know how just how good things where going with the two. She couldn't tell anyone that there really wasn't something between the two before, she couldn't even tell her self. Not really. Once upon a time it was a key phrase on her mind, _Poor naïve Akane. _But was it really, poor naïve Ukyo? Nah. It couldn't be- could it? 

            Ranma had always wanted to save Akane, not her, not Shampoo, but Akane. He always looked at her like a sister, never that way to Akane. He gave Akane the Christmas presents, not her. Never her. Always Akane. 

            Tears ran down her face and into the batter that sizzled on the grill. If it weren't for Akane she would've been first in Ranma's heart. Not Akane. 

            The door swung open to her café sending a chill through the restaurant for the storm wasn't completely over yet. "Sorry Sugar, we're closed." She said in a broken voice that cracked on every vowel.

            "Ukyo?" The person that walked through the door said. "Are you okay?" She knew that voice- Ryoga. 

            Before she could respond she began to sob uncontrollably. "No." Was all she managed in between sobs. 

"Today we are here to honor the memory of Saotome Ranma." The priest said at the funeral that Saturday. "I am told that even in his short life he did many self-less things. His memory will always remain in the hearts of everyone that knew, befriended, and loved Saotome Ranma." He paused and looked over the semi large crowd that had gathered. Tendo Akane sat in the middle row all to herself dressed from head to toe in black. More towards the back sat Shampoo, Mouse, and her grandmother in similar attire. Ukyo, Ryoga, Nabiki, and Kasumi sat in the second row on the verge of tears. And Saotome Nodoka and Genma and Tendo Soun sat in the first seat tears running down their faces. 

            The priest watched as other friends and classmates of Ranma's filled up a few other remaining rows. He cleared his throat. "For a person to die, isn't really a lose but a…" His voice went on but Akane paid no leeway to him. She didn't care what he said; it made no difference to her. It was just mindless jabbering to her. 

After the funeral Genma and Nodoka headed home not speaking to each other. Nodoka would never forgive Genma for robbing her precious time with her son and Genma still didn't know how to feel. Sometimes Genma felt as if a piece of his heart was cut off and buried with Ranma in the dirt with the worms and bugs. He didn't know how to feel. Sometimes he blamed himself for Ranma's death. 

Nodoka always did. She knew what to think. It was her ignorant husband's entire fault. He and his stupid friend are what pushed Ranma to be so cold to people, making them hate him. If she was there to raise Ranma and tell him how to act around people then this never would've happened. Just like that boy who killed her son, he never had a mother's love growing up. 

Kuno held the sword at a point under his lower rib cage. It was his fault he had done something un-honorable. He killed at man at the tip of his sword for no real reason except that he disliked him. Ranma had stolen both Tendo Akane and the pigtailed girl from him. Kuno shuddered. 

Not the pigtailed girl- she was Ranma, Ranma was she. Deep down Kuno always knew that but never would confront the reality that is. Hate one, love the other a sick twisted plot and in the end no one is better.

Even at the killing, that was unintentional, Kuno ran. He didn't even have the guts to stay and help. Instead he fled like an ignorant fool. 

"_You're not lucky enough to die._" Tendo Akane had told him. Not lucky enough to be killed by her hands, she knew that guilt was a strong thing to live with. But now Kuno would no longer live with guilt. He would no longer have dreams where Ranma is chasing him to his death; he'll no longer cringe at sight of Akane, Ukyo, or Nabiki. Not anymore not ever.

 Not lucky enough to die at her hands, but savage enough to die at his hands. He felt the sword pierce his cool flesh. He took in a breath of sweet air that filled his lungs. He drove the sword deeper into his raw flesh. Blood ran down his stomach. Slowly he tilted the sword upwards and almost screamed at the pain of the metal diving into his lungs making him lose his precious air. He twisted the sword than pulled it out and saw his own blood run across the once shinny blade and down the hilt. 

Blood flooded his mouth and trickled down his chin. With much strength he lied down and crossed the sword across his chest. 

The next morning he was in his room with a smile encrusted with blood on his face. 

            He was lucky enough to die at his own hands, unlucky enough to succeed. 

Nabiki put the receiver down with trembling hands. "Kasumi." She said her voice a whisper. "Kasumi." Nabiki louder this time, slowly regaining her voice.

            Kasumi came out of the kitchen drying her hands with a dishtowel. "What is it Nabiki?" She asked with a smile. A false smile. 

            Nabiki blinked, "Kuno killed himself." She said flatly, as if she still didn't quite believe it herself. 

            Kasumi raised her eyebrows. "That's nice." She said and returned to the kitchen. Kasumi frowned when she picked up the glass plate and saw herself in it. Is this what life had in store for her? Endless killings? Never feeling safe in her home? Having to always smile that revolting fake smile? 

            The dish fell from her hand and on to the floor. None of this is what Kasumi ever wanted. She never wanted to be like a mother at such a young age, she didn't want to, she just wanted to have a normal youth. 

            _This does it. _She thought grabbing her jacket and purse from the table. Nabiki looked up at the sight of Kasumi walking through the living room dressed to leave. "Where you going sis?" She asked putting down her pencil. 

            Kasumi looked at her sister. "Out." She said and walked out the door, no smile on her face. Nabiki just shrugged and went back to figuring out how much she'll lose with Kuno… Gone…

"Do you like me Ranma?" Akane asked one afternoon when the two where walking home. 

            Ranma shrugged. "Yeah, you're my friend Akane." He said not wanting to say anymore. 

            Akane stepped in front of him. "Not like that Ranma, not friendship like." Akane said summoning up all of her courage. 

            Ranma stopped and stepped back, afraid of her sudden outburst. "Er, Akane?"

            "God Ranma, just say yes or no. I mean, we've known each other long enough by now to know if there is something between us!" Akane paused and continued quietly. "Besides if you don't just tell me so I can get on with my life." 

              _She thinks I don't like her! _He thought panicked. "Um, yeah AkaneIguessIdokindoflikeyouthatway." Ranma said, his words all jumbled together. 

            Akane stepped back not sure of what she heard, after all he was talking fast. "What did you say?" She ask. 

            Ranma took a breath and stepped closer to her. "I said, yeah Akane, I kind of, do like you?" He half said half ask, feeling his face blush. 

            Akane took another step back, still not sure of what he said. "Good." She heard herself whisper. 

            Ranma raised his eyebrows, smirking slightly. "I'll take that you like me too." He said walking ahead of Akane. 

            "I never said that!" Akane said defensively.

            Ranma's smile got bigger. "Sure you don't, that why you brought it up." He told her smugly picking up his pace. 

            Akane ran after him, "No I don't! Okay so maybe a little." 

The large Kuno estate was empty expect for the clam breeze that sometimes struck the wind chimes on the far east side. Nabiki Tendo walked into the estate holding a small box and walked to the door. She knocked and smiled when no one answered. Fishing a large key out of her breast pocket she opened the door. 

            The sound of Nabiki's footsteps echoed through the hallway. Careful to make sure she really was alone she slipped into Kuno's room. When Nabiki went in she was shocked to see it completely bare. The futon in the middle of the room was stripped of it's sheets and blankets, the dowers of the dresser where pulled out and left empty, the two pictures of Kuno's wall of the Pigtailed girl and her sister were ripped down so only tape remained, the room looked dead. 

            When Kuno died not only he was buried but him memory's, his room, his life. Nabiki stepped back and saw a large red stain of the wooden floor. 

            Blood. Not just any blood Kuno's blood. Water dropped onto the spot on the ground where the blood was. Nabiki bit her lower lip and walked out of the room holding back her tears.

"Hey Akane." A female voice said breaking her out of her trance.        

            Akane shot up like a bullet. "Huh? Huh? What is it?" She asked the girl who sat next to her now. 

            "Sensei's getting mad, he's tapping his ruler. I think it's time to answer his question." The girl said nudging her. 

            The sensei's glare cooled and he smiled. "Okay Akane, can you tell me how to do y=mx+b when m equals…" The sensei's voice dragged on and Akane answered the simple review problem. 

Akane laughed slightly and moved in closer to the warm body next to hers. "It's night's like this that I like Ranma." She whispered in his shoulder. Ranma nodded and slipped his arm around her. 

            "Nabiki!" They heard a voice call inside. "Do you know where Ranma and Akane are?" Ranma put his hand over her mouth and lowered his eyes to hers. 'Quiet', he mouthed and she nodded. Quietly they got up and walked along the side of the room, the moon at their backs. 

            "No Auntie! Maybe Kasumi has!" Nabiki called back to the caller, Nodoka.

            Ranma picked up Akane and she yelped as he jumped off the roof. Akane smiled and pulled into his side. "Where are we going?" She asked him. A smiled crossed his face. "The park." He answered.

            Inside the Tendo house Genma looked out the front window with his wife. "I do believe." He began, "That he's finally getting along with Akane." Nodoka smiled and nodded in agreement with her husband. 

Tendo Soun walked around his house looking for his daughter. Kasumi had been missing for a while now and he wanted dinner. Aimlessly he wandered into the kitchen. An empty pot sat on the stove with chopped up carrots next to it, the next pot had water poured in it with spices stirred in it, a salad bowl sat next to the stove and had lettuce in it, and in the oven meat cooked and was left unattended to. Hum, thought Soun, this is odd. I wonder were Kasumi is… he stepped back just avoiding the broken glass plate on the floor.  

            A note on the refrigerator caught Soun's eye.  _I will be back soon, don't wait up for me. –Kasumi. _Soun gapped at the note, Kasumi would never be so irresponsible as to just leave a mess like this, not to mention dinner. Would she? 

            In the other room Nabiki got up to answer the door. A policeman stood there holding a pad of paper. "Can I help you?" She asked spectacle. 

            The policeman stepped in and Nabiki closed the door. "I was told that I could find a Tendo Akane here, is that true?" 

            Nabiki glanced at him, "Hai, this is the Tendo residence. Do you want to talk to her?" The policeman nodded and Nabiki went up the stairs and knocked on her younger sisters door. "Akane. Come downstairs, someone wants to talk to you." 

            Groaning Akane walked out the door and past Nabiki. She rolled her eyes, she was so sick of all these people telling them how sorry they are. She'd just have to tell them to stop bugging her. As she slumped down the stairs she caught sight of a police officer. Eyebrows raised she approached him. 

            "I'm Tendo Akane, can I help you?" She asked walking closer to him. 

            He looked down at his notepad then back at her. "Yes, I'm here to investigate a murder of a Saotome Ranma." 

            Akane gawked at him. "Yes, I already talked to a police officer about this. As I said before Kuno killed him." 

            "Yes we know that, according to his sister we have reason to believe that you killed Kuno Taw-" Akane cut him off. 

            "Look, I wouldn't kill Kuno if he begged me. His sister is crazed and I believe that you should test her for mental illness and leave my family and I out of this. As we've said before we don't wish for legal action to be taken against any of the Kuno family. All I know is that my sister was informed of Kuno killing himself." Akane glared at the policeman, who had stepped back not willing to anger her any further. 

            "Thank you for your help." He said before running out of the house. Nabiki stood in the back round watching; Akane seemed to be just like her at some times. 

Shampoo stood looking at her restaurant, a sign that said out of business hanging on the doorknob. Cologne looked back at her grandchild. "Come on child." Shampoo started to follow her, her head high. Mouse was at her side holding their bags. 

            "Mouse." Shampoo whispered in Mandarin so only he and her could hear. "Did I ever say thank you?" 

            Mouse stopped. "About what?" 

            Shampoo looked back and smiled at him. "For coming after me." She whispered back smiling and returned to Cologne's side her face blank. Mouse smiled and ran after them. 

The following morning Kuno Koudichi was admitted to Nermia's Hospital for the Mentally Unstable. Two large men dragged her screaming at the top of her lungs. "I'M NOT CRAZY! RANMA DARLING SAVE ME." She cried in between sobs.  

            One of the large man that was dragging her smirked. "No one's going to save you hear sweetheart." The screaming of the Kuno child was heard nonstop for three and a half days before she was admitted into solitary confident. 

Ranma pinned Akane against the large tree in the far end of the park. Akane giggled and smiled a smile that was barely visible in the dark of the night. "You got me." She said. "Just don't tickle me." She said trying to bring her hands out of Ranma strong grip. "Come-on Ranma! Let me go!" She teased. Ranma let Akane's hands go. He felt her hands on his back. "Now I have you." She whispered.

            Ranma returned the hug and felt Akane's head on his chest. He ran his hand in her hair. Akane stepped on her tiptoes and now was about even with Ranma. She mentally sighed, always her to make the first move. Smiling she leaned in and kissed a surprised Ranma on the lips. Ranma bent down to be level with her and kissed her back longer and deeper then before. 

            "I think I love you." He breathed. 

Dr. Tufo lowered to his knees to examine his patient. It didn't look good, her face was pale and her skin was cold. "How long has she been like this?" He asked Kasumi who was standing next to him. 

            Kasumi lowered next to him. "A week now. It started out as just a cold and got worse. Will she be okay?" Dr. Tufo placed his hand on Kasumi's and looked at her. 

            "I'm afraid not. She has the same thing that her mother had, slow to infect quick to kill. She could've had it for years now and none of us would've known." Dr. Tufo's eyes grew sad. If Akane were to die that would make three deaths this year. 

            Kasumi managed a weak smile. "She was getting better, you know getting on with her life slowly. Sometimes she'd talk to just quitting everything and leaving. Like I did- for a while. But I told her, no matter how bad things get, things will always get better." Kasumi lied, making it sound that it was her choice to come back. The only reason she had was because Nabiki found her and told her that Akane needed her and practically dragged her back. Tears fell from her eyes remembering that she even did something so horrible. 

            Akane lay on her bed with a smile on her face. She knew she was going to die. But in death she could be with Ranma. _Ranma, _she though, _I think I love you too. _

Will that's the end. I hopped you like it. Review please!!!! Ah, come-on! Don't make me beg! Okay, I'm on my knees! I got the idea for this from reading DemonSaya's fic, Ranma, Love. It's a lot better then mine and not as dark… Hers is happy! I guess mine is too, kind of, in some parts. Sayonara!

REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Oh and Ashley, I'm sorry for killing off Ranma, and Kuno, and Akane…) 


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